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German military aviation command launches cyber threat initiative

A German Air Force piolt poses inside the cockpit of an Airbus A400M military aircraft at the ILA Berlin Air Show in Schoenefeld, south of Berlin, Germany, June 1, 2016. Picture taken with a fish-eye lens. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

By Andrea Shalal

BERLIN (Reuters) – The German military’s aviation safety chief has launched a new initiative against cyber threats, citing research that he said shows hackers can commandeer military airplanes with the help of equipment that costs about 5,000 euros ($5,700).

A defense ministry spokesman told Reuters that development of new “aviation cyber expertise” would cover everything from raising consciousness about cyber threats to technical research projects and equipping aircraft with protective systems.

State Secretary Katrin Suder had backed the idea, which Major General Ansgar Rieks, head of the German Military Aviation Authority, proposed in a letter in June, the spokesman said.

Rieks said last week that he was unnerved by a demonstration by the government-funded German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Bavaria showing hackers could take control of an aircraft with inexpensive equipment.

“That frightens me. I wrote to the state secretary about it and said doing nothing would amount to gross negligence,” he said at a talk at a conference in Bueckeburg, Germany. He said the issue was also a vital concern for civil aviation.

He said military officials needed to focus not just on potential problems with computer software, but should also work to “ensure that airplanes cannot be taken over from the ground, or possibly by a passenger in the air”.

A spokesman for the DLR, which has studied aviation cyber security extensively, had no immediate comment on the issue.

Germany’s military this year launched a new cyber command that groups cyber units from across the military, which will also involved in the new aviation cyber initiative.

Cyber resilience – making sure that systems can survive a cyber attack and keep functioning – was a major topic during a conference at Bundeswehr University Munich last month, the DLR spokesman said.

Germany’s military is also working on the aviation cyber issue within the European Union and NATO, he said.

Concerns about cyber attacks on aircraft and in the broader aviation sector have grown sharply in recent years with a growing barrage of attacks and breaches against other sectors.

Many experts fear that the aviation industry has not kept pace with the threat hackers pose to increasingly computer-connected airplanes.

Rapid adoption of communication protocols similar to those used on the internet to connect cockpits, cabins and ground controls, have left air traffic open to vulnerabilities bedevilling other sectors such as finance and oil and gas.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Hamburg police fear further violence on final day of G20 summit

German riot police officers walk in front of protesters during demonstrations at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

By Joseph Nasr

HAMBURG (Reuters) – German police braced for a third day of violent clashes with anti-capitalist protesters bent on disrupting the G20 summit of global leaders in Hamburg port, after radicals torched cars, smashed shops and injured officers overnight.

While around 100,000 protestors have staged peaceful marches since Thursday, a hard core of the Black Bloc militants from across Europe have looted stores, set fire to street barricades and hurled bottles and paving slabs.

The head of Hamburg police said he was shocked by the “wave of destructive anger”, riots and arson committed by demonstrators since Thursday.

“We have clear indications it is highly likely that these violent perpetrators will mix in with today’s demonstration ‘G20 – not welcome!’ said Ralf Martin Meyer. “It is to be expected that again, no peaceful protest will be possible.”

The anti-globalisation Attac movement plans a demonstration of up to 100,000 people on the final day of the summit. Police said some 21,000 people had already gathered.

“Today we will bring our criticism of the G20 and our alternatives for fair global policies onto the streets,” said Attac’s Thomas Eberhardt-Koester.

“We want to respond to the police violence and senseless destruction of last night,” he added.

In the last three days, more than 200 police officers have been injured. Some 143 people have been arrested and 122 taken into custody. The number of injured protestors was not available. On Friday night, special armed police had been deployed with sub-machine guns.

World leaders and officials are putting the final touches to a joint statement on issues ranging from trade to climate change on Saturday, the final day of the summit.

Merkel had wanted to show her commitment to free speech by hosting G20 leaders in Hamburg, a port city with a strong radical tradition, but images of burning cars and shops and streets awash with debris have raised questions about that strategy.

Hamburg residents inspected the destruction on Saturday and said they were angry the summit was taking place there.

“Merkel underestimated the protests. The least she can do now is come visit (the district of) Sternschanze and see the damage for herself,” said Kai Mertens, a 50-year-old programmer.

“We are a very liberal district. But what they did here has nothing to do with the G20 or opposition to politics. They were hooligans and many were foreigners,” added Mertens.

Police from across Germany have been brought to Hamburg to reinforce the local force. A 27-year old German suspected of attempted murder after pointing a laser pointer at a police helicopter was due to face a judge on Saturday, said police.

(Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Leftist protesters vow to disrupt G20 summit in Hamburg

An activist carries a poster as he arrives at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof central railway station during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 6, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

By Joseph Nasr

HAMBURG (Reuters) – “Welcome to Hell”. That’s the greeting for U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders from anti-capitalist protesters in Hamburg, who have vowed to disrupt the G20 summit in the German port city.

Among the 100,000 protesters expected in the city, some 8,000 are deemed by security forces to be ready to commit violence, posing a challenge for those tasked with securing the July 7-8 summit of leaders of the world’s 20 biggest economies.

There has been no significant violence at several smaller demonstrations in the city this week, including a march on Wednesday by more than 7,000 beer-drinking mainly young revelers holding placards denouncing capitalism and G20 leaders.

But a fire overnight at a Porsche car dealer in the north of the city that damaged eight vehicles could be a foretaste of what’s to come. Police said they were investigating whether it was an arson attack.

“There is no concrete evidence to link the incident to the G20 summit,” a police spokesman told Reuters. “But we assume this is the case.”

Locals are unhappy with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to hold the summit in the center of Germany’s second-largest city as they fear property damage by violent protesters. Their daily routines are also being disrupted by security measures.

Up to 20,000 police officers will be on duty to watch over the main demonstration, dubbed “Welcome to Hell” by the alliance of anti-capitalist groups who organized it. Protesters have said they will try to block roads in the city.

Merkel took a big gamble in deciding to host the summit, where leaders will hold talks on difficult issues from trade and climate change to African development, in the city of her birth.

Should the protests go awry, her reputation could be damaged less than three months before an election in which she is seeking a fourth term.

To air the locals’ disenchantment, Hamburg-based soft drinks maker Fritz Kola has launched a poster advertising campaign featuring a portrait of Trump snoozing. A caption reads: “Wake up, man! Fritz Kola. Lots of caffeine”.

Protesters say the G20 has failed to solve many of the issues threatening world peace, including climate change, rising inequality and violent conflicts.

Activists arrive at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof central railway station during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 6, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

‘EGOISTIC LEADER’

Tens of thousands will gather at the fish market in the borough of St Pauli – known for its red light district – at 1400 GMT (10 a.m. ET), around the same time as Air Force One is due to land in Hamburg. They will then march north to the heavily secured summit venue.

“It’s ridiculous that police say some of us are violent when starting tomorrow the leaders of the world’s largest weapon exporting and importing nations will be arriving in our city,” said Stefan Hubert, a 32-year-old graphic designer who came to the protest on Wednesday with three friends.

Holding a placard reading ‘Make love great again!’ he added: “This summit is a waste of money that could be better spent on deploying more boats to stop migrants fleeing war and hunger from drowning in the Mediterranean.”

Turkish-German protester Fatima Cicek said she and her two sisters came to the demonstration on Wednesday to make the point that the G20 is undemocratic as it is a forum where a handful of leaders make decisions that could impact the whole world.

But her main issue is with Trump.

“He is the most disruptive and egotistic leader at the summit,” the veiled 38-year-old social worker said.

There is an irony in the protesters’ dislike of Trump. The U.S. president and anti-capitalist activists have something in common: distrust of globalization.

Yet Trump is in Hamburg to push for trade rules that benefit America, including steel makers facing tough competition from China, while the protesters are here to demand more rights for the poor regardless of where they live.

“Trump is here to promote his own interests and those of the richest people in America,” said Cicek. “We are demanding more rights for the millions of people in Africa who have no roof over their heads.”

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Germany urges Erdogan not to address Turks during G20 Hamburg visit

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reviews a guard of honour during the launch of a new Turkish Navy ship in Tuzla, near Istanbul, Turkey, July 3, 2017.

BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to respect its request that he not address Turks living in Germany when he attends this week’s Hamburg summit of the world’s 20 largest economies.

Ties between Berlin and Ankara have soured over the past year due to disagreements on a range of political and security issues, including Turkey’s jailing of a German-Turkish journalist and its refusal to let German lawmakers visit German troops at a Turkish air base.

Erdogan was also infuriated by what he called “Nazi era tactics” when some local German authorities, citing security concerns, barred Turkish politicians from campaigning in Germany ahead of a referendum on expanding the president’s powers.

Last week Germany rejected a request from Ankara that Erdogan be allowed to address members of the 3 million-strong ethnic Turkish community living in Germany during the G20 summit.

In unusually strong language that underlined the poor state of relations, a German foreign ministry spokesman said even appearances by Erdogan at a Turkish consulate or via a video feed would “would be an affront to the clearly expressed will of the government and a violation of German sovereignty”.

“Appearances of this nature have to be requested well in advance,” Martin Schaefer told a news conference when asked about “rumors” that Erdogan might still address Germany’s Turks despite Berlin’s request.

He said Germany could not ban Erdogan from speaking at a Turkish consulate, but had options for influencing such actions.

Last week German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he did not want to see Turkish domestic conflicts played out among the Turkish community in Germany – a reference to deep political divisions within Turkey.

(Reporting By Thomas Escritt; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Asylum requests dip slightly after 2015 record, OECD says

People walk as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

PARIS (Reuters) – The number of people fleeing war or strife for stabler parts of the world fell marginally in 2016 from a record high in 2015, with the lion’s share of those seeking asylum doing so in Germany, the OECD said on Thursday.

In a report on broader migration trends, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said that the biggest exodus of asylum-seekers was from war-ravaged Syria, followed by Afghanistan and Iraq.

Asylum request numbers continued to drop in the early months of this year, it added.

For a fourth straight year, Germany registered by far the largest number of asylum applications – 48 percent of a world total of 1.64 million in 2016.

The United States, where the bulk of asylum applications are from Latin Americans, was a distant second, registering 262,000 asylum applications.

The total number of applications dropped by one percent from 2015, said the Paris-based OECD, which noted that many of those who arrived in Germany in 2015 filed formal asylum applications in 2016.

When compared to the population of the host country, Germany registered more than 10 times as many asylum requests as the United States and four times as many as Italy, another key destination for many migrants, notably from Nigeria.

The OECD, a think-tank funded by the governments of its 35 member countries, most of them wealthy economies and relatively stable politically, suggested the slight dip in asylum requests in 2016 may be followed by a more pronounced reduction this year.

In the first six months of 2017, the total number of landings on European shores reached 85,000, around 10 times less than at the peak in the second half of 2015, it said in a statement that accompanied its report.

With two in three refugees arriving in Europe, OECD chief Angel Gurria said: “Improving the integration of immigrants and their children, including refugees, is vital to delivering a more prosperous, inclusive future for all.”

While OECD countries, primarily in Western Europe, received 1.6 million asylum requests in 2016, Turkey alone was providing temporary protection to another three million Syrians, the organization said.

(Reporting by Brian Love; Editing by Toby Davis)

Germany sees ‘very difficult’ situation in eastern Ukraine

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel speaks during a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, June 5, 2017.

BERLIN (Reuters) – German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday that both Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists were violating a ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine and it would likely be difficult to resolve the crisis in the short term.

“It’s very difficult to find a way out after so many years,” Gabriel told an event hosted by the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Of course we are trying, but it does not look like we will have a (short-term resolution) of the difficulties in the region.”

Gabriel said he backed continued efforts by the so-called “Normandy format” group – involving Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia – to resolve the crisis, but observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were not optimistic, given the situation in the region.

“I have no good messages on this issue,” he said.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Joseph Nasr)

Germany says will avoid escalation of Turkey row during troop pullout

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu attend a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s foreign minister said on Tuesday he would try to avoid damaging already strained relations with NATO partner Turkey during a withdrawal of German troops, as he didn’t want a mounting dispute to push Ankara into closer ties with Moscow.

Sigmar Gabriel said his officials would do their best not to escalate the situation as German troops left the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey – in reaction to Ankara’s decision to restrict German lawmakers’ access to the soldiers.

“Above all we should organize the withdrawal so that there is no megaphone diplomacy where we trade insults,” Gabriel told Deutschlandfunk radio.

He said he had agreed with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen that the German cabinet would deal with the issue on Wednesday. He also said the defense ministry had already been working on a withdrawal plan.

Turkey’s ties with Germany and other European Union states deteriorated sharply in the run-up to Turkey’s April 16 referendum that handed President Tayyip Erdogan stronger presidential powers.

Germany, citing security concerns, banned some Turkish politicians from addressing rallies of expatriate Turks before the referendum. Ankara responded by accusing Berlin of “Nazi-like” tactics, drawing rebukes from Berlin.

Turkey has reignited a row over access to German forces on its territory by imposing new restrictions on German lawmakers visiting Incirlik.

The German deployment at Incirlik is part of a mission providing reconnaissance aircraft to support U.S.-led coalition operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Gabriel said the defense ministry had concluded it now made more sense logistically to send Germany’s Tornado jets to Jordan.

“We have no interest in pushing Turkey into a corner … we don’t want to push it towards Russia,” Gabriel said. “This is no small thing but it is about more than Incirlik, it’s about our relationship with Turkey,” he said.

Turkey has been seeking to improve relations with Russia. Last month it agreed plans with Moscow and Tehran to reduce the fighting in Syria, and has been working to end economic barriers imposed after Turkey shot down a Russian plane near the Syrian border in 2015.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting Gabriel in Ankara on Monday that relations with Germany had suffered recently, but that trade and investment between the two countries were still strong.

“We spoke about how we can focus on this more, what steps could be taken to increase contact between the two nations and disperse this negative atmosphere,” he said.

Berlin is also worried about a security crackdown in Turkey after last year’s failed coup. Some 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from their jobs and 50,000 people jailed pending trial.

“Turkey wants an expansion of the customs union. We say we are ready for that … but you have to move, too,” said Gabriel, who stressed that adhering to the rule of law was necessary.

Germany has also pushed for the release of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who was arrested in Turkey in February on a charge of spreading terrorist propaganda.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

German cyber agency chides Yahoo for not helping hacking probe

By Andrea Shalal

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s federal cyber agency said on Thursday that Yahoo Inc <YHOO.O> had not cooperated with its investigation into a series of hacks that compromised more than one billion of the U.S. company’s email users between 2013 and 2016.

Yahoo’s Dublin-based Europe, Middle East and Africa unit “refused to give the BSI any information and referred all questions to the Irish Data Protection Commission, without, however, giving it the authority to provide information to the BSI,” Germany’s BSI computer security agency said.

A BSI spokesman said it decided to go public after Yahoo repeatedly failed to respond to efforts to look into the data breaches and garner lessons to prevent similar lapses. BSI also urged internationally active Internet service providers to work more closely with it when German customers were affected by cyber attacks and other computer security issues.

Yahoo did not respond to requests for comment, while Ireland’s data protection agency was not immediately available.

The BSI’s statement comes at a time of heightened German government concerns about Russian meddling in national elections in September, after cyber attacks on the French and U.S. presidential elections which have been linked to Russia.

The U.S. Justice Department in March charged two Russian intelligence agents and two hackers with masterminding the 2014 theft of 500 million Yahoo accounts, marking the first time the U.S. government had criminally charged Russian spies for cyber offences., while U.S. officials have charged Russian intelligence agents with involvement in at least one of the hacks that affected Yahoo.

Moscow has denied any involvement in hacking.

The BSI said it did not yet have any concrete information about the data breaches because of Yahoo’s lack of cooperation.

“Users should therefore be very careful about which services they want to use in the future and to whom they entrust their data,” BSI President Arne Schoenbohm said in a statement.

The BSI chief reiterated his recommendation that German consumers consider switching to other email service providers, adding that certifications such as those offered with C5-class cloud service security were valuable for customers.

C5 is a German government scheme to encourage cloud-based internet service providers to attest they use various safeguards against cyber attacks.

Late last year Yahoo, which has agreed to be acquired by U.S. telecoms giant Verizon <VZ.N> and is set to be merged with AOL to form a new business known as Oath, revealed a data breach dating back to 2013 of one billion user accounts.

The various disclosures led Verizon to cut the amount it was willing to pay for Yahoo by $350 million on its previously agreed $4.83 billion deal. Yahoo has said it expects the merger into Verizon to close in June.

BSI said an additional 32 million Yahoo users were affected by cyber breaches in 2015 and 2016. A spokesman for the agency said he was unaware of any additional breaches in 2017.

(Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; editing by Alexander Smith)

Germany eyes new North Korea sanctions: government sources

The City Hostel Berlin beside the compound of the North Korean embassy is pictured in Berlin, Germany, May 9, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany will tighten economic sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program in line with a U.N. resolution passed in November and subsequent EU regulations, German government officials said on Tuesday.

Berlin plans to ban Pyongyang from leasing properties that belong to its embassy in the heart of the German capital, foreign ministry sources said, confirming news first reported by Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and broadcasters NDR and WDR.

“We must increase pressure to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table. That means we must consistently implement sanctions imposed by the United Nations and the European Union,” said foreign ministry state secretary Markus Ederer.

“In that regard, it is particularly important that we do even more to dry up the financial resources used to fund the nuclear program,” he said in a statement. “The German government is in complete agreement and the responsible authorities will now take the necessary steps.”

Before Germany’s reunification in 1990, North Korea had diplomatic relations with Communist East Germany and owned an embassy and several buildings in East Berlin.

The embassy has continued to operate while one building has since be turned into a low-cost hotel and another into a conference center, according to German media reports.

The embassy collects “high five-digit” sums in rent for the properties leased to two operators since 2004, they say.

The United Nations explicitly banned such leasing arrangements by North Korean embassies worldwide as part of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2321, passed in November 2016 after Pyongyang’s fifth nuclear test.

The resolution says: “All member countries shall prohibit North Korea to use real estate that it owns or leases for other than diplomatic or consular activities.”

Tensions between North Korea and the global community have increased over the past year amid repeated missile tests by Pyongyang.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned in an interview with Reuters this month that a “major, major conflict” was possible with North Korea, but then raised eyebrows by saying he would be “honored” to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un under the right circumstances.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Andreas Rinke; Editing by Madeline Chambers and Tom Heneghan)

Dos, don’ts and geo-fencing: Europe proposes rules for small drones

A drone flies as Belgian police officers showcase the use of drones deployed over traffic accidents occurring on highways, in Ranst near Antwerp, Belgium, January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

BERLIN (Reuters) – Europe’s aviation safety authorities have proposed rules for operating small drones that include requirements for geo-fencing technology to prevent them from straying into banned areas and a “dos and don’ts” leaflet to be inserted in retail packaging.

With demand booming, both for hobby and commercial use, European regulators have been looking for ways to ensure drones can be safely operated, while allowing the industry to grow.

Fears have been raised over the use of drones near airports in particular, with a number of pilots reporting near collisions with drones, and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has set up a task force to look into the risk of drone strikes.

EASA’s proposals include requirements for drones to be remotely identifiable, to be fitted with geo-fencing technology to prevent them from entering prohibited zones such as airports and nuclear sites, and a requirement for people operating drones weighing more than 250 grams to register themselves.

EASA hopes such measures will address privacy concerns, as well as safety risks.

The design requirements for small drones will be implemented using the CE product legislation commonly used across Europe.

Along with the CE marking, drones will be identified according to their class, and a “dos and don’ts” leaflet will be in all product boxes.

“Based on the drone class, an operator will know in which area he can operate and what competence is required,” EASA said in a statement.

The proposal is now open for comment from May 12 until Aug. 12 and EASA will submit its final opinion to the European Commission at the end of 2017.

The regulation of drones weighing less than 150 kg is currently up to individual EU member states, resulting in a fragmented regulatory framework.

Makers of commercial drones include China’s DJI and France’s Parrot <PARRO.PA>.

(Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Mark Potter)

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